GAO calls for increased scrutiny of animal drugs

According to a Government Accounting Office report released Monday federal agencies looking into the issue of antibiotic use in livestock need to "better focus their efforts to reduce the risk to human health from the transfer of antibiotic resistant bacteria from meat."

Specifically, the GAO recommends that:

The FDA expedite its risk assessments on antibiotics used in animals that are critically important to human health.

USDA and Health and Human Services develop a plan to collect data on antibiotic use in animals that can be used to support research on emerging resistant bacteria, assess the human health risk, and develop strategies to mitigate antibiotic resistance.